Saturday, August 8, 2009

Summers are extremely hot and dry in the chaparral of Southern California, especially for dogs with thick fur like Jet. This photo is from a recent hike in Griffith Park, where for a change there's a dog trough for pups to rehydrate themselves.

I take a 1 gallon plastic bottle with us whenever we walk. The mouth is wide enough for Jet to stick his tongue inside and drink.

Jet's about to get some leftover steak bones as a treat. I'll give him greenies on extremely rare occasions but I find that they're a bit too expensive. Rawhide and bones do just fine for this little guy.

If anyone has any suggestions for home made dog toys I would love to hear them! If they're practical, I'll make sure they show up in a photo with credit given to the toy's creator.

Friday, August 7, 2009

I'm in the process of trying to train Jet to stand on his hind legs, at least briefly. There's actually a biscuit I'm holding in my hand (you can see a little of it between his teeth, it's green) and he didn't bite down on my fingers at all. He has a surprising amount of control and accuracy with his muzzle, I'm always impressed with the instinctual integrity Jet has (even if he pees on my shoe when he's scared).

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Welcome. The goal of this blog is the share the amazing animal anomaly that is: my dog Jet. Of course I'm rather biased, but I'd wager that I have the cutest dog in the world. Not purely because he's handsome and adorable, but because he does some of the dumbest things (even by dog standards) I've ever seen. We've been through a lot together over the 3ish years I've had him, and I must say his story is rather interesting.

Jet's a Siberian Husky that my parents found wandering the streets of Ventura county, in Southern California. He has a chip in him that was tied to a local animal shelter. After getting the adopters' contact information, I left a message... waited two weeks with no response, and after that point registered the chip in his name, effectively making him my property by law. I suspect the poor little guy has been abused at some point in his life, for a number of reasons.

You may notice Jet has different color eyes, a trait known as heterochromia. Jet also (perhaps unfortunately depending on your point of view) has a nonfunctional tail. This means he can't wag it when he's happy or excited, tuck it between his legs when he's scared, or lift it when he's taking a dump. He very rarely barks, instead he communicates with a wooing noise for the most part. I believe this may be a trait of the breed, but I've never met anyone else with a husky.

Jet doesn't necessarily scare easily, but he is definitely not a brave dog by any means. He's the kind of fighter who only picks on dogs smaller than him.

This charming combination of traits that is Jet provides endless amusement. I hope you'll stop in from time to time and see what he's up to.